IPD Volvo S40 T5

Best of all, these modifications won't break the bank.

Beneath the hood of ipd's S40 T5 is Volvo's turbo­charged 2.5-liter inline-5, fitted with a trick Aquamist water-injection system and an ECU upgrade that allows for more aggressive boost, fuel and ignition settings, to the tune of 265 bhp at 5600 rpm and 288 lb.-ft. of torque at only 1500 rpm.

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While the ipd Volvo didn't actually feel that powerful, the test numbers tell a story of significant improvement, the car reaching 60 mph in only 6.1 seconds, four-tenths quicker than the stock S40 T5 we tested in March 2006. And to 100 mph the ipd S40 is a full 2 sec. ahead, at 15.7 sec. Moreover, ipd leaves the S40's stock ECU calibrations alone below 65-percent throttle, helping explain the excellent everyday driveability.

Chassis upgrades include KW coil-over suspension with adjustable ride height and rebound damping, plus ipd rod ends for the front anti-roll bar, an ipd rear anti-roll bar and an ipd front strut brace; the front brakes use 13.0-in. rotors from the European S40 police package. The car's 18-in. wheels are by VST and the grippy 225/40ZR-18 tires are by Pirelli, which helped the ipd S40 lap our skidpad at 0.87g and weave through the slalom at 66.8 mph, noticeably better than the stock car at 0.82g and 62.0 mph, respectively.

Best of all, these modifications won't break the bank. The parts tally $7800, or about $10,000 installed. Hey, this is the closest you'll ever get to an S40 R.